Portable blower



July 30, 1963 H. B. PIEPER PORTABLE BLOWER Filed Sept. so, 1960 HOW/'0'B, P/eper INVENTOR.

BY MIA/WWO} 19mg United States 3,099,386 PORTABLE BLOWER Howard B.Pieper, 1141 Easton Ave., Waterloo, Iowa Filed Sept. 30, 1960, Ser. No.59,702 3 Claims. (Cl. 230-117) The present invention generally relatesto a portable blower and more particularly to a hand carried blower foruse in many different ways but primarily constructed for aid in startingsmall fires such as normally are employed in backyard barbecue pits andthe like.

In recent years, there has been a considerable increase in the use ofbackyard barbecue pits and the like due to rthe increase in outdoorcooking. In fact, portable barbecue pits are employed by many personsand it quite often is difficult to properly ignite the charcoal. Manydifferent solutions have been attempted including the use of a highlyflammable liquid, highly flammable blocks or the like which are employedfor initially producing a relatively large flame for properly ignitingthe charcoal. Such devices are relatively dangerous to use and therehave been many accidents due to an excessive flame being produced.Therefore, it is the primary object of the present invention to providea small portable blower generally of the size of a two cell flashlightwhich includes a small electrically driven motor powered by twoflashlight batteries and a blower driven by the motor for dischargingonto the charcoal for supplying an abundance of oxygen thereto for moreeasily igniting the charcoal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable blowerincorporating a fractional horsepower high speed motor driving asquirrel cage type of blower for producing a relatively high volumeoutput of air for supporting combustion.

Still another important [feature of the present invention is to providea portable blower having means on the housing of the blower forsupporitingly retaining a pack of matches and revealing the strikingsurface of the pack of matches for use thereof in initially starting thestarting material for igniting the charcoal.

Still another important object of the present invention is to provide aportable blower which is simple in construction, easy to use, easy tocarry, effective for its particular operation and generally inexpensiveto manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the blowerillustrating the structural details thereof the portable blower FIGURE 3is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passingalong section line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 illustrating fiurther structuraldetails of the invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view illustrating tails of the bookmatchholder.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral generallydesignates the portable blower of the present invention including ablower head generally designated by the numeral 12 and a battery casegenerally designated by numeral 14. The battery case 14 is of theconventional type employed in flashlight structures and includes acylindrical housing 16 having a removable end cap 1-8 thereon whichnormally has a the deice 2 spring for engaging the base end of one of aplurality of flashlight batteries 20. The upper end of the housing 16 isprovided with a bulbous semi-spherical portion 22 having external screwthreads 24 which normally receives a lens, cap, bulb and reflector.

In the present invention, the customary bulb and separable reflector(not shown) are replaced by a fractional horsepower motor 26 mounted ona plastic disc or adapter plate 28 forming a part of the blower head 12.The disc 28 is retained against the end of the portion 22 by an inwardlyextending flange 29 rigid with a depending cylindrical attaching flan-geor collar 30 having screw threads 32 screw threadedly engaged with thescrew threads 24 on the semi-spherical portion 22 of the housing 16. Themotor 26 is supported from the adapter plate 28 in any suitable mannersuch as by bolts 33 or the like and is provided with a contact 36 forengaging the central post or contact 38 of the flashlight battery 20.The circuit to the motor 26 is completed through a metallic ring 39 andback to the base of the outermost flashlight battery 20 in the usualmanner of a flashlight by the movable switch operated contact member 41.

Extending longitudinally outwardly from the partition plate 28 is agenerally cylindrical impeller housing 40 having a spiral enlargement 42at one side thereof which communicates and extends tangentiallyoutwardly as a discharge opening 44 for a blower rotor or impellergenerally designated by the numeral 46 disposed within the cylindricalhousing 40.

The blower rotor or impeller 46 includes a circular plate 48 having acentral cylindrical hub 50 press fitted onto the output shaft 52 of theelectric motor 26- which retains the impeller 46 in place on the shaft52. In assembly the motor 26 and disc or adapter plate 28 are securedtogether and the plate 48 and hub 50 are pressed onto the motor shaft52. This assembly is checked for clearance between disc 28 and plate 48and then is positioned on the outer edge of the portion 22 for clampingengagement by the flange 29 on cylindrical screw threaded flange 30.

Rigid with the circular plate 48 is a plurality of radial fins 58terminating at their outer edges coincident with the outer edge of thecircular plate 48 and having their inner edges spaced from the hub 50thus defining a central intake area 60. The upper outer corner of eachfin 58 is provided with a recess which receives an annular ring 62 forretaining the fins 58 in properly spaced relation. The outer edge of thecylindrical housing 40 as well as the spiral enlargement 42 and thedischarging opening 44 is provided with an outer closure plate 64 havingan enlarged central opening 66 which is slightly greater than thediameter of the circle defined by the inner edges of the fins 58 thusforming an air inlet for the blower. The blower may be considered asquirrel cage blower with certain modifications whereby the air is takenin through the aperture 66 and discharged through the discharge tube orhousing portion 44.

Mounted on the outer surface of the discharge housing 44 is a clip 68for receiving a pasteboard book of matches 70. There is also provided atransverse projection 72 resting under the heads of the book of matches70 for retaining them in position with the striking area of the book ofmatches being received under the clip 68. The clip 68 is also providedwith a transverse slot 74 for exposing the striking surface of the bookof matches thereby enabling the matches to be removed fromthe book ofmatches and ignited in the usual manner without removing the book ofmatches from the clip 68. This provides for ready accessibility of thebook of matches so that the tindering material used in igniting thecharcoal may be easily ignited and further providing assurance that amatch will always be available.

The present invention may be transported and stored in a very small areasuch as is necessary for a flashlight and is controlled in the samemanner as the usual flashlight, that is, by a suitable switch mechanism17, the details of which are not illustrated. With a small fractionalhorsepower motor turning approximately 8,000 r.p.m., the blower willdischarge approximately 50 c.f.m. which is clearly adequate to supportcombustion of charcoal once it has been ignited. This device enables the'blower or air supply to be moved around the flame or around thecharcoal to provide it in the most desirable area. This enables a blowerto be used where there is no regular supply of electrical energy and itis especially desirable when a fire is to be started such as when on acamping or picnicking outing where considerable difficulty is normallyexperienced in starting fires.

The number of cells or flashlight batteries may be varied depending uponthe particular desires and power requirements. However, it has beenfound that two flashlight cells supply adequate electrical energy forextended use of the portable blower. The simplicity of the devicerenders it quite inexpensive to manufacture and, in fact, the motor andblower head may be attached directly to a conventional flashlighthousing and switch structure.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the priciples of theinvention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination, an elongated switch-equipped flashlight casin-gconstituting a handle and housing, open at an outer end, dry cellbatteries mounted in said casing, an electric motor telescopingremovably into the outer end portion of said casing, operable by theswitch, and axially aligned with and having a contact at an inner endengaging an adjacent one of said batteries, a motor posit-ioning adapterplate removably seated on said outer end and constituting a closuretherefor, said plate also abutting and being separably fastened to theouter end of said motor, said motor having a power shaft extendingthrough and beyond an opening provided therefor in said plate, a bladedimpeller embodying an imperforate plate having an axial hub operativelyconnected to said shaft and spaced from but in parallel relation withsaid adapter plate, the latter, motor and impeller constituting areadily applicable and removable subassembly, a blower head embodying anin line hollow housing enclosing said impeller and having an innerattachable side provided with a collar encircling and separably joinedto the outer end of the casing, provided with means engaging andclamping said plate to said outer end, having an outer side with acentral air inlet aperture aligned with the blades of said impeller, andalso having a tangential air discharge nozzle on its body portionextending normal to the axis of the motor and casing.

2. For use in conjunnction with a conventional-type flashlight having ahollow handle-forming battery case and provided at an outer end thereofwith an open top part normally designed and adapted to accommodate aninsertable and removable reflector and bulb assembly, the outer endportion of said top part being externally screwthreaded; a flashlightattachment by way of which said flashlight can be converted to a blower,said attachment comprising an adapter plate to be substituted for theusual lens and resting removably on an edge of said top part andprovided on one side with a supported motor and on the other side with abladed impeller, said motor having a shaft connected to and foroperating the impeller, and a housing for said impeller separate fromthe impeller and enclosing the impeller, said impeller housing having acentral air intake opening in a wall thereof and being providedperipherally with a tangential air discharge nozzle in communicationwith the impeller space in said housing, and having a screw-threadedcollar screwed on the threads provided therefor on the aforementionedtop part.

3. The structure defined in claim 2, and wherein said collar is of anoutside diameter less than the outside diameter of said impellerhousing, the junctional connection between sai dcollar and an adjacentwall of said impeller housing having an inwardly projecting assemblingand clamping flange, said flange overlying-the outer marginal edgeportion of the aforementioned adapter plate and clampingly retaining theadapter plate between the flange and the aforementioned edge on said toppart, the inside diameter of said flange being slightly greater than theoutside diameter of said impeller whereby to permit the adapter plateand motor and bladed impeller thereon to be put in position as anassembly before fitting the collar and flange-equipped impeller housingin position on said top part.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,504,003 Trumbull Aug. 5, 1924 1,637,652 Ness Aug. 2, 1927 1,749,373Breuer Mar. 4, 1930 2,595,406 Popovich May 6, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS795,118 Great Britain May 14, 1958

1. IN COMBINATION, AN ELONGATED SWITCH-EQUIPPED FLASHLIGHT CASINGCONSTITUTING A HANDLE AND HOUSING, OPEN AT AN OUTER END, DRY CELLBATTERIES MOUNTED IN SAID CASING, AN ELECTRIC MOTOR TELESCOPINGREMOVABLY INTO THE OUTER END PORTION OF SAID CASING, OPERABLE BY THESWITCH, AND AXIALLY ALIGNED WITH AND HAVING A CONTACT AT AN INNER ENDENGAGING AN ADJACENT ONE OF SAID BATTERIES, A MOTOR POSITIONING ADAPTERPLATE REMOVABLY SEATED ON SAID OUTER END AND CONSTITUTING A CLOSURETHEREFOR, SAID PLATE ALSO ABUTTING AND BEING SEPARABLY FASTENED TO THEOUTER END OF SAID MOTOR, SAID MOTOR HAVING A POWER SHAFT EXTENDINGTHROUGH AND BEYOND AN OPENING PROVIDED THEREFOR IN SAID PLATE, A BLADEDIMPELLER EMBODYING AN IMPERFORATE PLATE HAVING AN AXIAL HUB OPERATIVELYCONNECTED TO SAID SHAFT AND SPACED FROM BUT IN PARALLEL RELATION WITHSAID ADAPTER PLATE, THE LATTER MOTOR AND IMPELLER CONSTITUTING A READILYAPPLICABLE AND REMOVABLE SUBASSEMBLY, A BLOWER HEAD EMBODYING AN IN LINEHOLLOW HOUSING ENCLOSING SAID UMPELLER AND HAVING AN INNER ATTACHABLESIDE PROVIDED WITH A COLLAR ENCIRCLING AND SEPARABLY JOINED TO THE OUTEREND OF THE CASING, PROVIDED WITH MEANS ENGAGING AND CLAMPING SAID PLATETO SAID OUTER END, HAVING AN OUTER SIDE WITH